The permanent delegation of the Arab Republic of Egypt in the United Nations issued, on September 8, 2025, A verbal diaphragm expressing strong protest and denounces the allegations made by Libya about the external limits of the Libyan continental shelf, as well as with hydrocarbon research and exploitation areas in the Mediterranean.

OR Egypt It categorically rejects the boundaries of the Libyan continental shelf, as presented on the maps, noting that they overlap the western maritime border of the country. At the same time denounces the east to be claimed maritime limitarguing that it is entirely within the Egyptian maritime zone and violates its sovereignty over territorial waters, the border zone, and the sovereign rights in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the continental shelf.

The Egyptian side is determined to defend its rights, which are based on international law and the United Nations Convention on Sea Law. Declaration notes that Libyan Seats are incompatible with the United Nations Convention on Sea Law and violate the forecasts of international law and the relevant international practice.

It is recalled the validity of relevant Egyptian announcements and legislative acts, with an emphasis on Presidential Decree 595/2022 on the delimitation of Western maritime boundaries, as well as previous verbal intercourse (2019, 2023 and 2024).

Particular reference is made to the Libyan protest of Greece’s international competition on research south of the Peloponnese and Crete. Egypt rejects every claim on the EEZ and its continental shelf, stressing that such claims ignore its inherent and inanimate sovereign rights in the marine areas extending from its base lines in the Mediterranean.

At the same time, Egypt rejects the Memorandum of Understanding on June 25, 2025 between the Libyan National Petroleum Society and the Turkish Petroleum Society, which concerns geological and geophysical studies and seismic surveys in four marine areas. Especially for the so -called “region 4”, Egypt points out that it overlaps the Egyptian boundaries and rejects both the Memorandum itself and any measures or activities arising from it.

The Egyptian side reiterates that it does not recognize the turquoise of 2019 and 2022, characterizing them as invalid and deprived of legal power.

Finally, Egypt proclaims its willingness and commitment to cooperate and negotiate in good faith with neighboring states, with the aim of delineating maritime zones on the basis of international law.

Following is the full text of verbal decoration:

“The Permanent Delegation of the Arab Republic of Egypt at the United Nations Organization in New York presents its respect to the United Nations Secretariat and, following the verbal Declaration of the Libyan Permanent Representation to the Secretary General, dated 27 May 2025 2025 (A/79/960), has the honor to declare the following:

The government of the Arab Republic of Egypt rejects the external boundaries of the Libyan continental shelf, as stated in the above verbal diagnosis (A/79/916) and are depicted on the attached map. Egypt does not recognize these boundaries, as they overlap the western maritime boundary of the Arab Republic of Egypt in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Government of Egypt reiterates its protest against the declared eastern maritime demarcation of Libya, including the declared outer limit of the eastern continental shelf, which is entirely placed within the Egyptian maritime zone. This demarcation constitutes a violation of Egypt’s sovereignty over the coastal zone and its border zone, and overlooking its inherent and founding sovereign rights in the exclusive economic zone and its continental shelf in the Mediterranean Sea. Egypt reserves all its rights and emphasizes its determination to protect them under international law.

The Egyptian government emphasizes that the declared eastern maritime delimitation of Libya, including the external threshold of the continental shelf, is incompatible with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and is contrary to the provisions of international law and the relevant international practice. Rejects any measure, energy or legal effect that derives from it.

Egypt reaffirms the content of the notification of maritime zones it submitted on 12 January 2023 (MZN162.2023.los), including the Presidential Decree No. 595 (2022) on the demarcation of the Western Maritime Border of Egypt in the Mediterranean, as well as the geographical lands. It also reaffirms the content of its previous correspondence, including verbal interdments dated 23 December 2019 (A/74/628), 10 April 2023 (A/77/858) and April 9, 2024 (A/78/848) of the Egyptian Permanent Representative to Egypt.

Concerning the verbal decoration of Libya on June 20, 2025 (A/79/960), regarding the Greek government’s announcement on the international tender for the granting of hydrocarbon research and exploitation licenses in maritime areas south of the Peloponnese and Peloponnese, 2 “is located in Libyan Sea Zones. Egypt rejects and refuses to recognize any allegations of any side that fall within its exclusive economic zone and its continental shelf, ignoring its inherent and incessant sovereign rights in the maritime areas extending from its base lines. These areas have been declared in accordance with the relevant decisions and legislation, including the decree of January 15, 1951 on the territorial waters of Egypt, its later amendments, and Presidential Decree 595/2022.

Egypt rejects the Memorandum of Understanding signed on June 25, 2025 between the Libyan National Petroleum Society and the Turkish Petroleum Society, which concerns geological and geophysical studies and seismic surveys in four offshore areas in the Mediterranean. The maritime “region 4”, mentioned in it, is overlapping the Egyptian maritime boundary. Egypt rejects any measure, action or legal effect derived from that Memorandum, as well as any act or activity within its maritime boundaries based on it.

The Government of Egypt reiterates its position in the verbal diagnosis of December 23, 2019 (A/74/628), that it does not recognize the Memorandum of Understanding signed on November 27, 2019 between the Government of the Turkish Republic and the Government of the National Agreement, legal effect. Similarly, it rejects the Memorandum of Understanding of October 3, 2022 between the Government of the Turkish Republic and the outgoing Libyan Government of National Unity for hydrocarbons cooperation, which it considers invalid and exclusively legal.

The Arab Republic of Egypt wishes to reaffirm its readiness and commitment to cooperate, consult and negotiate in good faith with neighboring states, in order to reach agreements on the demarcation of maritime borders on the basis of the principles of international law.

The permanent delegation of the Arab Republic of Egypt at the United Nations Organization in New York kindly calls for this verbal release as a document of the General Assembly, on the subject of 75 on the agenda, and is published on the website of the Ocean Directorate and the Ocean Affairs website.